White Wine Vinegar

More incisive, dry, and devoid of the tannins of its red counterpart, white wine vinegar offers a straight and luminous acetic acidity. It is the essential chemical reactant in making the great classic hot emulsions (Hollandaise, Béarnaise sauces): its reduction with shallots very slightly denatures the egg yolk proteins even before the addition of melted butter, stabilizing the emulsion while cutting the saturated fat of the sauce with its acidic tension.